embryonic
adjective
em·bry·on·ic
ˌem-brē-ˈä-nik 
1
: of or relating to an embryo
2
: being in an early stage of development : incipient, rudimentary
an embryonic plan
Examples of embryonic in a Sentence
The tourism industry there is still in an embryonic stage.
Recent Examples on the Web
Seventeen years ago, the world woke up to an astounding scientific breakthrough: a team of Japanese scientists, led by Shinya Yamanaka, had reprogrammed skin cells to resemble an embryonic state.
—
Juergen Eckhardt, Forbes, 9 Oct. 2024
The disk’s material will most likely fall onto the embryonic moon from the radial (in-out) direction, sculpting the satellite into an egg or football shape—what’s called a prolate spheroid—with the long axis pointing toward the parent body.
—Phil Plait, Scientific American, 20 Sep. 2024
The resistance remains embryonic and patchy, mainly because so many countries are still hooked on Chinese trade.
—Michael Beckley, Foreign Affairs, 14 Feb. 2022
Better understanding of this process in flies can help researchers gain insight into embryonic development in other species, which can aid research into cancer and birth defects.
—Michael Franco, New Atlas, 21 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for embryonic 
Juergen Eckhardt, Forbes, 9 Oct. 2024
The disk’s material will most likely fall onto the embryonic moon from the radial (in-out) direction, sculpting the satellite into an egg or football shape—what’s called a prolate spheroid—with the long axis pointing toward the parent body.
—Phil Plait, Scientific American, 20 Sep. 2024
The resistance remains embryonic and patchy, mainly because so many countries are still hooked on Chinese trade.
—Michael Beckley, Foreign Affairs, 14 Feb. 2022
Better understanding of this process in flies can help researchers gain insight into embryonic development in other species, which can aid research into cancer and birth defects.
—Michael Franco, New Atlas, 21 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for embryonic
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'embryonic.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near embryonic
Cite this Entry
“Embryonic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/embryonic. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
embryonic
adjective
em·bry·on·ic
ˌem-brē-ˈän-ik
1
: of or relating to an embryo
2
: being in an early stage of development
an embryonic plan
Medical Definition
embryonic
adjective
em·bry·on·ic
ˌem-brē-ˈän-ik
1
: of or relating to an embryo
2
: being in an early stage of development : incipient, rudimentary
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